PHS FCCLA wins gold at state competitionOn Wednesday, Feb. 25, three members of the Pottsville High School FCCLA chapter competed in the Arkansas State FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events in Conway. STAR events are competitive events in which members are recognized for proficiency and achievement in chapter and individual projects, leadership skills and career preparation. Participants were Lauren Fryer, Kris...

Student financial aid event at Arkansas Tech March 13The Arkansas Tech University Office of Financial Aid will host a Student Assistance with Financial Aid Resources and Information (SAFARI) session on Sunday, March 13. The workshop will take place from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the third floor lobby of the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, which is located at 305 West Q Street on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville. All current and prospective students of Arkansas Tech and their fami...

Touring visual art exhibition opens March 9The 2016 Small Works on Paper visual art exhibition will open Friday at Arkansas Tech University in the Norman Hall Gallery on 203 West Q Street. The show will be on display through March 30. An opening reception, free and open to the public, is set for Wednesday, March 9, at 2:30 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Now in its 29th year, Small Works on Paper is a juried visual art exhibition th...

Transition fair offered to 15 school districtsAbout 350 students receiving special education services from 15 school districts will participate in Russellville High School’s (RHS) Transition Fair at 9 a.m. on Friday in the RHS gym to help prepare students for the transition into adulthood. “The Transition Fair came about as a result to inform students with disabilities about community resources and services needed to transition into their post-secondary environment,” RHS special education...

Hector School Board extends Superintendent Davis’ contract, accepts resignation as basketball coachHECTOR — The Hector School Board met twice recently on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Tuesday, Feb. 22, to consider personnel matters. The board quickly entered executive session for slightly more than an hour during the Feb. 16 meeting. Upon return to open session, the board moved to extend the contract of Superintendent Walt Davis through the 2017-18 school year. The motion passed 4-1 with board member David Freeman dissenting. The board also accepted...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Tech is first Arkansas Campus Kitchens affiliateArkansas Tech University has become the first educational institution in Arkansas and the 50th in the nation to join The Campus Kitchens Project. Founded in 2001, Campus Kitchens empowers university and high school students from around the United States to utilize surplus food from dining halls, community gardens, restaurants and grocery stores to combat hunger by providing meals for the food insecure on campus and in the surrounding community...

Racing for a brighter futureRussellville Junior High School (RJHS) engineering teacher Sylvia Wood is proud of her involvement in the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) robotics classes that put 50 robots on the ground on Monday in a race to determine who could build the fastest robot. Each team was made up of two to three students — ideally three (a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer and a computer engineer). Students were given a problem: Design the fastest robot. They ...

Local writers group publishes bookThe River Valley Writers Group recently self-published a book titled “Scenes of the South,” in which 21 local writers are featured expressing their experiential views on Southern life through fiction, poetry and essays. “We wanted to reflect the Southern experience, so the stories all have some dealings with Southern social, cultural, or religious life,” editor Richard Merritt said. “Society in the South is becoming increasingly homogenized th...

Museum of military history: Dissolved or not?About four months ago, the Arkansas River Valley Museum of Military History closed its doors and entered a state of inactivity. The museum's phone line is disconnected and the small building at 127 E. 3rd Street in Russellville — the rent on which was paid at least in part through public funds — is empty. The brief history of the museum was turbulent. Former director Lee Fields filed a lawsuit against board members, including Lloyd and Cindy W...

RSD hears dyslexia update presentationThe Russellville School District heard a dyslexia update presentation during its monthly meeting on Tuesday by Curriculum Directors Dr. Chris Barnes and Judy Pennington. Pennington also explained to the board what the role of Content Professional Development Coaches jobs entail. Pennington presented a proposal and rationale for three professional development coaching positions to be created. The board approved the opening of the three position...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Quiz Bowl teams competeThe RHS Cyclone and RJHS Whirlwind Quiz Bowl teams recently traveled to the Cabot Freshman Academy for the Arkansas Friends of Quiz Bowl Invitational Tournament. This is the largest quiz bowl tournament in Arkansas with 100 teams competing. The Cyclone Varsity team finished third overall in the tournament with a 6-1 record. The Cyclones defeated Maumelle 360-105 and Bryant 325-165 to earn the fourth seed for the afternoon games. In the single-...

RSD hosts annual Transition Day eventRussellville School District held its annual Transition Day on Tuesday for students in fourth through ninth grades. This event allows students the opportunity to learn about the various programs and activities that are available to them, and familiarizes them with the buildings they will attend next year. All fourth grade students toured the Upper Elementary Fifth Grade and visited stations where teachers and specialists presented information ...

Hudgens describes ‘path to progress’It had been almost 53 years since his graduation when Col. George T. Hudgens returned to the place now known as Arkansas Tech University to deliver the institution’s 2016 Black History Month keynote address on Tuesday. As Hudgens spoke in the Doc Bryan Student Services Center Lecture Hall, he offered a recitation of the change he has witnessed during his life. “The path to progress is always under construction,” said Hudgens. A member of the A...

City Corporation partners with ATUCity Corporation General Manager Steve Mallett told the utility’s Board of Directors on Tuesday that Arkansas Tech University (ATU) students will tour the water and sewer facilities on Friday. Dr. Sandy Smith, head and associate professor of the Emergency Management Department, and students have met with City Corporation staff and asked for information to develop a disaster recovery plan for the utility. Mallett said they would tour the water ...

Congressman Womack visits in RussellvilleU.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Rogers) made several stops in Russellville on Tuesday with his first stop at his college alma mater, Arkansas Tech University (ATU). The congressman discussed current issues with a panel of students with the Student Government Association (SGA) and gave a guest lecture in the American Government class. Womack’s main focus for conversation was to encourage leadership among the young student leaders. Congressman Womack’...

University of Arkansas Monticello fall semester Chancellor’s and Dean’s listsMONTICELLO, Ark. — The University of Arkansas at Monticello named 175 students to the Chancellor’s List for the fall semester and another 268 students to the Dean’s List, according to Carol Dolberry, registrar. Selection to the Chancellor’s List requires a grade point average of 4.0 on at least 12 semester hours of course credit at the 1000-4000 level. The Dean’s List requires a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, also on at least 12 semeste...